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Wednesday, June 1, 2011

PRICING OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES: DO THE MARKETS CARE ABOUT YOUR FOOD?

Your produce is the best nourishment that money can buy. That said, it should be fresh, clean, pure, organic (when possible) and ethically priced. The market that sells your produce should care about the health and freshness of it as much as you do. In this day and age, such ethical behavior could come into question when markets are changing prices constantly to keep up with the demands of the business.

I have seen the price of Mangoes go from $1 a mango to $2 a mango overnight. I have seen organic raspberries go from $3.99 a package to $6.99 a package in an overnight period as well. A similar case with Organic Hass Avocados: $1.50 to $3.00 in a few days. I have made my voice heard with the store owners and customer service counters on several occassions about these rapid changes; they have attributed such price changes to oil prices, packaging, and availability. These are definitely pertinent factors with regard to the nature of business; however when the price of a Mango doubles in less than 10 hours at major market retailer and the reason is because of "high oil prices", ethical behavior with regard to pricing must come into question. And the question is, what exactly is the consumer paying for? Once in Guatemala, I purchased an Organic Hass Avocado for about the equivalent of 8 cents. How does that 8 cent avocado become one that fluctuates between $1.50 and $3.00 at the will of the retailer? These are the questions consumers must ask.

So why ask these questions? I say if the retailer is more concerned about pricing of produce, how much focus can there be about the ethical care of such produce? Is everything really organic? How is "Organic" defined between the farmer, distributor and the retailer? All the same or not? Is everything really coming from the sources that they say? Are some things made in an "Organic Lab" instead of an actual farm? (Yes, "Organic Labs." They exist.)

It is a bit disturbing when you think of all these things. Some people just prefer not to know any of these things and put all their trust in the owners of the markets and grocers. At the end of the day, all the food is going into your body, the body of your family and the bodies of your fellow mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters. We should all care and consider asking questions with regard to ethical behavior of these retailers and farmers. The great Imhotep (Egyptian God of Medicine) coined the phrase, "Let thy food be thy medicine." And if the food is to be the "healing of the nation," we as a people must begin to make sure that our food has the "power" they say it has. Our food must be treated in a beautiful and ethical way: from farmer to retailer to your home.

Clean food is food that is ethically priced and treated in a way that is loving, caring and honest.